Many of us are concerned
about the commercial dog foods on the market today. We
hear about recalls and health concerns even deaths related to
them. They often contain fillers with no nutritional value and
a list of ingredients that we don't understand.

You may want to consider making your own homemade dog food. You
don't need any special training or tools just the motivation to
ensure that your homemade dog food is the best choice for you
and your dog. It is simple to do and can be done at the same time
you are making your own dinner.

Basically, whatever you are having minus added salt, spices and
fat your dog can have and let's face it what four legged friend
of our's doesn't appreciate a homemade meal too.

For the most part your dog's nutritional requirements are the
same as yours. Water, protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and
minerals ensuring your dog is getting his daily dose of each of
these elements will help keep him happy and healthy. Generally
speaking most dogs require a mix of different ingredients in order
to make it the healthiest dog food for your Aussie.

In most cases, this means you should make your homemade dog food
40% meat, 30% fiber and 30% starch. This variable may change a
little bit, depending on the breed and size of your dog, but it's
a pretty consistent guideline that can be used to make your own
homemade dog food

Supplying fresh clean water daily not only helps
keep her hydrated but helps nutrients and waste products flow
through the body.

Protien plays a role in tissue growth and repair. Fats supply energy and vitamins as well as add flavour which can
determine how much food they will eat. Fat also helps maintain
a nice healthy coat.

Carbohydrates are an energy source as they are
broken down and metabolized.

Vitamins and Minerals help the proper absorption
of fats and carbohydrates and for the chemical reactions in the
body. It is essential that you get enough vitamins and
minerals in your homemade dog food. It's recommended
that you also include high quality dog
food supplements to make sure your dog is getting everything
she needs.

Vitamin A is essential for healthy skin, eyes
and your immune system and can be found in:

Spinach

Cucumber

Asparagus

Pumpkin

Carrots

Broccoli

Cabbage

Vitamin C is essential for a healthy immune
system. Some examples of foods high in vitamin C are:

Cabbage

Spinach

Peppers

Broccoli

Brussel Sprouts

Cauliflower

Oranges

Zucchini

Asparagus

Cucumber

Squash

Green beans

Vitamin E is a valuable antioxident and helps
repair cell damage and can be found in spinach, broccoli and other
leafy greens.

You can also include fruits in your homemade dog food
recipes. Dogs also like fruit and get the same benefits
from them as we do. Remember that dogs can not have grapes
or raisins!

Apples have vitamins A, B, C, iron, potassium
and magnesium. They can help bring down bad cholersterol.

Bananas are good source of potassium, folic
acid, vitamin A & B6. They are easily digested and high in
fiber. They make a good energy boosting snack as well they can
provide moisture in healthy treat recipes instead of adding oil.

Carrots are a nice crunchy snack raw. They are
also full of nutrients and vitamins B, C, D, E, & K along
with folic acid and the anti-cancer protecting ingredient
- beta carotene. They also contain potassium, iron, sodium,
phosphorus, magnesium and silica.

Strawberries is another popular one. They also
contain cancer fighting beta -carotene, bone building calcium,
potassium and iron and of course vitamin C.

Pineapples are packed full of vitamin C and
fibre so they help the immune and digestive system. They also
have anti-inflammatory effects.

Video:
How To Make A Simple, Balanced Fish & Sweet Potato Home Diet
For Your Dog

In this video Dr. Andrew Jones, DVM from the Nelson Animal
Hospital in British Columbia, Canada shows how to prepare
a simple homemade dog food recipe and discusses the use of supplements
to ensure a healthy diet.

Chocolate, coffee and tea all contain caffine
and other chemicals which can be toxic and affect the heart
and nervous systems. Symptoms may include staggering, laboured
breathing, vomiting, diarhea, abdominal pain, tremours, fever,
heart rate increase, arrythmia, seizures, coma, death.
Macadamia nuts contain an unknown toxin, which can affect the
digestive and nervous systems and muscle.

White foods (white bread, white rice) are
very hard to digest.

Yeast dough can expand and produce gas in
the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the
stomach or intestines.

Tomatos may cause tremors and heart problems.

Avocados – all parts may cause difficulty
breathing as they can cause fluids to build up in the chest,
abdomen and around the heart.

Potato and Rhubarb leaves and stems contain
oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary
systems.

So if you're adding any of these ingredients to your portion
simply remove your dogs portion first. Or you may prefer to make
her her own 'meatloaf' or 'stew' once a week and keep it in the
fridge or freezer. That way if you decide to have pizza night
your dog will still have a regular home made meal.

One big advantage of making your own homemade dog food is that
you can control the amount of chemicals and fillers in it and
well as salt and preservatives, and again you can control the
variety.

As the premier animal poison control center in North America,
the APCC is your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency,
24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think that your pet may
have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, make the call
that can make all the difference:

Comments: The biggest problem with homemade
diets is NOT ENOUGH CALCIUM to balance out the phosphorus in the
meat. If your diet does not include ground bones, you should always
add calcium. Use eggshells 1/2 tsp per pound of food, or calcium
supplement 1000 mg per pound of food. You can also use bone meal,
1-1/2 tsp per pound if you like. Cottage cheese is not a good
source of calcium and it is high in phosphorus which negates its
benefit. Use ricotta cheese instead.

Veggies are only needed for bulk if you do not include raw bone
in the diet. Dogs can't digest plant materials well.

Sardines are a good treat, and are high in essential EPA/DHA.
You need to include organ meat along with muscle meat; it provides
essential vitamins and minerals.

Dogs produce their own vitamin C so that is not necessary to
add. If you cook the meal you might want to add a B vitamin compex
to replace destroyed vitamins.

Comments: Use the blood from the meat containers too. I cook several pounds of meat at a time and use a ladle to remove the cooked meat from the pan and add it to a single serve bowl, 2 for a serving. (I save cottage chz/yogurt/riccota chz/dip containers for this). I do the same for the rice adding the 1/2 scoop on top. Then I lable and freeze the bowls. Shred veggies ahead of time too and put them in snack sized zipper bags and lable. Then just take a bag out (pre-measured) and add it to the meal when heating.

I find my dog, Chance, is very smart and will not do something that is going to hurt himself so I serve the food hot and find it keeps him from "wolfing" it down. He waits until a bite is cooler in order to eat it.

Let's
Not Forget Homemade Dog Treats!

Your Aussie will love these homemade dog treats.

Peanut Butter and Banana Frozen Pops

Ingredients:

1 mashed Banana
32 oz. Low Fat Yogurt
1/4 cup Peanut Butter

Preparation: Just mix all ingredients together
and put into small cups. I use 4 oz. dixie cups. Make sure you
don't leave the dog unattended with the treat so that you can
pick up the cup after they are done to avoid them trying to eat
the cup. I have looked for those paper type cups but I couldn't
find any. My Australian Shepherd loves these after his walk in
the morning.

Comments: You can put in whatever your dog would
like as long as it is on the list of what to give. He just likes
this combination and sometimes I don't put in the banana if I
don't have it.

More Dog Food and Dog Treat Recipies...

What's Your
Favorite Homemade Dog Food or Dog Treat Recipe?

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with other Aussie lovers. Just use the form below to
tell us about your canine gastronomic delight.

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what Ingredients we will need and if there are
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Final Thoughts:
Have Variety in Your Homemade Dog Food

One important aspect of your dog's diet, whether
you purchase food or make your own homemade dogfood, is variety. Use a different type of meat each time you make a recipe and vary
the veggies and fruit too.

Make sure to talk to your vet before changing your dog's
diet from commercial to homemade dog food. And remember
as with changing her to any kind of different diet it should be
done slowly over a course of 7-10 days.

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